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Copied from Facebook 16th December 2025 prizes where presented to winning lofts by 2025 SNFC average and double SNFC gold cup winner John Bosworth from Elphistone. During the season club members sent 8827 birds to federation races (a weekly peak of 1156) with an average of 520 birds per race. The first prize winners where as follows: F&W Robertson X4 Keith Wright X4 S&S Tierney X3 Bald & Wallace X2 With W.Pryde & Son, S McVey, Black & Coupe, W.Kinnear & Son each winning 1. Of the 17 club winners - 14 were federation toppers. In my opinion 2 stand out performances were: 1. In old birds - the Ramsgate race where Freddy & Wullie Robertson won the race by almost 1.5 hours also winning the central and east of Scotland amalgamation that day. 2. And with the young birds in the Grantham race where S&S Tierney took the first 4 in the federation with his first bird beating the next federation member by around 20 minutes. Winning old bird average, combined average, old bird KO and Barry Cryer trophy - F&W Robertson. Runner up in both combined average and young bird average - K Wright Runner up in old bird average, winner backpath lofts trophy - S&S Tierney Winning Raymond McNamee memorial trophy and young bird KO - D Brown Big slim trophy winner - Bald & Wallace 2nd division winner - A Walker 1st division winner and YB average winner - W.Kinnear & Son Winning Charlie Graham memorial for first club bird in SNFC gold cup with a fine 11th open is the former partnership of - Cameron & Winter

All the best everyone

Thanks Mate

Copied from Facebook 15th December The 32nd Danderhall Xmas Race was held on Saturday 13th December with 204 birds competing for £3750 in pools and prize money. Big thanks to race sponsors Wullie Dunsmore, Minnie & Thomas Fraser, Jimmy Bell, Castlebrea RPC, Rod Pringle & Colin MacGregor. Also big thanks to Grace Watson for supplying the winner with cupcakes (Mad Hatter Bakers). In the past 11 races we have now had 11 different winners. Congratulations to this years winner David Brown, also runner up John Lindsay & third placed Jeff Porter.

Copied from Facebook 15th December 2025

Copied from Facebook By Brian Black How’s everyone doing. Hope all is well Yesterday I attended my club presentation and as usual it was a class couple of hrs going as smoothly as ever. Well done to all the club trophy winners 😎 Then as class as ever Barry Kinnear and Willy dunsmore took it upon them selfs to present Vone Lindsay & Garry mackie the trophy for the best average velocity over the supper Super Sunday Pigeon Racing in the races we had. It was won by Lindsay & mackie well done lads. If you’re interested in taking part next season everyone is welcome just get in touch. We will be doing old bird racing on a Wednesday & yb racing on a Sunday 😎😎

Copied from Facebook 14th December 2025 Some photos from danderhall RPC presentation today trophies were presented by John Bosworth 2x Gold cup winner multiple winner of national averages well done to all trophy winners it wouldn’t be a success without our secretary Barry Kinnear well done 👏👏👏

There at Buckie in the moray firth loft

Nae idea folks

Still have perches available pm me if interested

Copied from Facebook 14th December 2025 Lauriston Homing Society Sales List Sun 14th Dec - Sun 21st (9pm) For sale are some fantastic birds , kindly donated by some of the countries top top fanciers. To place a Bid, just go into comments and put lot number and amount you wish to Bid. All proceeds going to club funds Lot 1. C&G Cameron - Arbroath Lot 2. P Virtue - Cockburnspath Lot 3. Chris McLaughlin - Stenhousemuir Lot 4. G Harrison - Lesmahagow Lot 5. B Chalmers - Kennoway Lot 6. R Walker - Eyemouth Lot 7. D Anderson - Annan Lot 8. K Droog - Forfar Lot 9. AS Thomson & Son - Portseaton Lot 10. A Miller - Sighthill Lot 11. A McLean - Oban Lot 12. Maskame & Cordiner - Peterhead Lot 13. T&M Paterson - Plean Lot 14. K Whitham - Dunbar Lot 15. M&J Currie - Moffat

At 89 years old, Willy Verbruggen has enjoyed remarkable success in pigeon racing, with national victories in Barcelona in 2011 and Marseille in 2024. Willy Verbruggen competes in two international races each year outside of the Barcelona team, adding to his vast experience and expertise in pigeon racing. His impressive achievements are the result of years of dedication, hard work, and carefully selecting the best pigeons for competition.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas🎅🎄

Well done everyone

On behalf of myself and my auld dad Fifer, we would like to wish all the members of Basics a Very Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year, from my home to your home. Thank you for your support this year.

how did the race go

Copied from Facebook 12th December 2025

Where are the birds housed for the sale on Premier, can anyone tell me. Thanks Cem

Nora Major of Putney. I first met the late Nora Major in the mid-1970’s and being one of the best lady fanciers I’ve had the pleasure to meet. I first visited her Putney loft in 1977 for an article. Nora was a great worker for the sport, always willing to help anyone and was famed for her blunt manner. A spade was a spade with Nora, but she got the job done! In 1968 Nora built a loft for her 11 year old son, Francis, who wanted to race a few pigeons which were scrounged from here, there and everywhere. The 40 strong young bird team collected that year were raced through the card and only one 6th position was won. Francis had lost interest in the sport by 1969, but Nora had caught the bug and was intent to improve her stock and win races. In 1969 the turning point in Nora’s pigeon career came when she met Alex Fleming of Esher and obtained six eggs from him and by 1970 she had a loft full of Fleming pigeons and never looked back. Nora said at the time all her best pigeons were Fleming and she owed all her success to Alex. Most of her team in 1970 was bred down from the original six birds and she won her first race from Bournemouth that year and celebrated that same night with other club members by throwing a big party at her house. She had previously met Bill Bonamy of Ealing, who had many impressive trophies around his house, which included an uninscribed replica with a pigeon on top. Nora took a fancy to the replica and Bill promised he would present it to her when she won her first race. The night of the party, Bill turned up at midnight and presented her with her first trophy. From that day the trophies poured in with the Alex Fleming pigeons winning out of turn, but after all her great success she said the big thrill of winning had gone. She said that she was quite unmoved in 1976 when she recorded 1st, 2nd, 4th and 7th club Dax (537 miles), having the only pigeon on the day of liberation in the Richmond club. She said the sense of achievement had gone and she felt ashamed when she took all the trophies in the club that season, leaving three trophies for 40 other members to share. Nora told me, she was a hopelessly addicted pigeon person and thought she should have been a man. She considered one of the nicest compliments she had received was in 1973 when she had won the much coveted ‘Brooker Gold Cup’, in the London Coly for the second time. A veteran of the sport came and shook her hand and with his congratulations he said, ‘Nora, you are a jolly good pigeon man’, to win the ‘Brooker Gold Cup’. You had to nominate no more than six birds at the beginning of old bird racing, then on the night of marking for Niort, only one bird of the six may be nominated for the race. Nora won the Niort race with her one nominated bird two years on the trot. I made my trek to Nora’s Putney home in the heart of the London Federation just before Christmas in 1976 and the first stop was her living room to look at her fantastic array of trophies. She had won many outright and said when she took one off the club, she always bought one to replace it. She had won 20 trophies in 1976 in the very strong Richmond & Dist. H.S. and London Coly, which also included Old Bird Average and Continental Average in the mighty London Federation. Nora’s loft was 24f x 8ft, four compartments and the birds were trapped through drop holes. They were cleaned out every day and all the old birds were raced on the natural system with very little training, as they were raced on Wednesday and Saturday. The feed was a good mixture, but was not given on a regular basis as Nora liked to give them a change. The three pairs of stock birds and 25 pairs of racers were paired up in late January and about 60 young birds were bred each year. All pairings were made by eyesign which she said she had learnt by reading S.W.E. Bishop’s book, ‘The Secret of Eyesign’. The first pigeon we looked at was the 1976 ace bird, a pure Fleming dark chequer pied hen, ‘72437’, and she recorded 1st club, 7th Federation Dax (536 miles) in 1976. She was the only bird on the day in the Richmond club and there was only seven on the day in the London Federation. She was a nice apple-bodied hen with a nice eye and strong back. A great pigeon! Nora’s family of club and Federation winners goes on and on, but her favourite pigeon was her blue chequer hen, ‘Blue Lady’, and she was Nora’s number one stock hen, breeding winners every year, and she was bred by Alex Fleming. Her best pigeon was her champion blue pied hen, ‘Nora’s Hen’, and this brilliant bird was a champion in the truest sense, winning, 1975: 3rd club, 1977: 1st club, 1st Federation, 1st open L&SC Combine (2,868 birds) Bergerac, 1st club, 5th Federation, 13th open Combine Nantes, 1978: 1st section E, 4th open NFC Pau Grand National (£1,052), 1st club, 5th Federation, 18th open Combine Nantes, 1790: 26th section E. NFC Pau. What a pigeon! She was bred from the Alex Fleming lines when crossed with a pigeon from Mick Graham of then Richmond and when Nora retired from the sport in the early 1980’s this champion hen was sold to C.H. Besant of New Malden for £1,000. Nora’s loft housed many Federation winners and found it hard to tell of her best achievement but in 1974 she was highest prize winner in the West Middlesex Federation, winning Young Bird Average Cup, Federation Points Shield, 1st, 2nd Federation in June, and 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Federation in August. She was 1st, 2nd, 3rd club Bergerac (450 miles) in the Putney club in 1973 and Nora’s loft was premier prize winner in the Richmond club six seasons out of seven in the 1970’s. A wonderful record! As well as being the secretary of the Richmond club and the London Coly for many years, she was also a vice president of the RPRA London Region and president of the London Federation. She was very hot on bookwork, recording everything on paper. She didn’t like showing her birds and said she only put her pigeons into pens to support the club. Nora always told novices to get a family of birds from a premier flyer, like the late great Alex Fleming. Nora always maintained that there was no other pigeon fancier to match Alex! She was a very keen gardener and if my memory serves me right, I think she won the best loft and garden competition in the 1970’s. A great lady! Text & Photos by Keith Mott (December 2025)

Congratulations

Copied from Facebook 11th Dec 2025 Billy has penned a wee note about Solway Federation West Section Fancier of the year Jim Russell. Winner of the West Section Fancier of the Year Trophy in 2025 was Jim Russell from the Nith Valley Club, Dumfries. The Federation trophies were presented several weeks ago at the Fed. AGM, but Jim was unfortunately unable to attend. Michael Currie the Federation President informed the members that he would deliver the trophy to Jim’s home address by hand and would get a photo, which would be posted on the Federation Facebook page. In recent days Michael visited Jim’s home; having been told that he had not been in best of health but pleasingly on arrival was a bit better and in grand fettle for the visit and together they had a great chat reminiscing on by-gone years. Michael was much impressed also when he learned that Jim had won the trophy racing ten pigeons only. In recent years he worked with examples of the Van den Bulck family, which he obtained from friend and fellow Club member Mervyn Halliday who in turn purchased his stock from P and D Racing Stud and Ludo Claessens, which he obtained from Louella. As the 2025 season drew to a conclusion it was generally known that due to advancing years and indifferent health the final race in the 2025 Federation race programme was to be Jim’s last ever race as he had decided to retire from the Fancy. For him, however, to conclude the season, being named West Section Fancier of the Year Federation was extra, extra special.

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Well done greatwork